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Dana White has had his fair share of issues with his champions. Regardless of how great they were or how much money they generated, he wouldn’t shy away from sharing his opinion.
Some might say it's refreshing that he’s more outspoken than the commissioners of other professional sports leagues. However, there are also those who might feel he should keep any issues with a fighter private. Tito Ortiz is the most prominent example of an issue playing out in public. Their feud reached a point where a boxing match was in the works.
Reigning heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is the most recent example of a champion that he is visibly angry with. The UFC president had mentioned ‘The Predator’s' contract situation and felt that he hasn’t always had the best management representing him. This list will look back at five times when Dana White was visibly angry with a UFC champion.
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#5. White angry with former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor has many accolades inside the octagon. However, it were his actions outside the octagon that angered White. It’s understandable why the former two-division champion would be treated differently than the other fighters.
To McGregor's detriment, his emotions have gotten the better of him on a few occasions. The most prominent example of the UFC president being angry at him was following the bus incident at UFC 223. After a confrontation between his teammate Artem Lobov and Khabib Nuramgomedov, ‘Mystic Mac’ took matters into his own hands.
An enraged McGregor showed up to media day with the intent of starting a fight. He threw a dolly through a bus window, in which ‘The Eagle’ and others were sitting. The incident led to him being arrested and charged. The UFC president said:
"You could imagine he's going to be sued beyond belief, and this was a real bad career move for him."
#4. White angry with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones
Although Dana White has referred to Jon Jones as the greatest of all time, he has been angry with him numerous times. The UFC president has had to address some of the former champion's bad decisions in his personal life. The hit-and-run incident damaged the former light heavyweight champion’s reputation, and the USADA suspension made matters worse.
UFC 200 was originally scheduled to be headlined by a rematch between 'Bones' and Daniel Cormer. However, the fight was canceled two days prior due to Jones' failed USADA test for a banned substance.
"I must've jinxed myself cause I kept going everything is going so smooth, everything is going so smooth, and nobody had been hurt," the UFC president on Jon Jones anti-doping violation at UFC 200 media availability.
This was unfortunate as the promotion wanted to top UFC 100 and had the star power to do it. Former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar's return against Mark Hunt and Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar II also featured. But the loss of Jones vs. Cormier 2 took away from the fans' overall experience.
#3. White criticizes former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley
White has had a rocky relationship at times with former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. One of his biggest criticisms had been that he felt the ‘The Chosen One’ wasn’t an exciting fighter to watch. As a result, this cost the former champion a lucrative fight with Georges St-Pierre.
The UFC president’s most significant criticism came at UFC 214 after Woodley defended against Demian Maia. He mentioned that the champion could’ve finished him much earlier and that fans wouldn’t want to see him fight after that.
“It’s easy to say a win is a win. But when you get booed out of an arena, means people don’t want to watch you fight. And that’s how you make a living. Not good if people don’t want to watch you fight,” Dana White during UFC 214 post-fight press conference.
‘The Chosen One’ went on to successfully defend his title against Darren Till before losing to current champion Kamaru Usman in 2019.
#2. White angry at Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks results
Dana White has had a reasonably good relationship with Georges St-Pierre over the years. The former two-division champion cemented his legacy as the greatest welterweight champion in UFC history. However, his final title defense against Johny Hendricks left the UFC president furious.
‘Rush’ retained his title against ‘Big Rigg’ by split-decision at UFC 167, which many felt was controversial. He absorbed many significant strikes, but the judges still scored the bout in St-Pierre's favor (48-47, 48-47, and 47-48).
The UFC president criticized the judging for the main event and felt Hendricks was robbed of a decision.
“I want what’s fair and that wasn’t fair. I think the Nevada State Athletic Commission is atrocious. I think the Governor needs to step in immediately before these guys destroy this sport like they did boxing,” Dana White said during the UFC 167 post-fight press conference.
#1. White angry with Anderson Silva's performance at UFC 112
White has praised Anderson Silva for his abilities and being one of the greatest fighters of all time. However, his title defense against Demian Maia at UFC 112 left him furious.
‘The Spider’ was the reigning UFC middleweight champion at the time and had spectacularly finished his opponents. There was also constant debate about whether he or St-Pierre was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. It looked like fans were going to get an answer to that question if Silva were to defeat Maia. However, his antics during the fight infuriated the UFC president to the point that he left during the main event.
He wasn't fond of ‘The Spider’s' showboating throughout the bout rather than going for the finish.
"I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed in the ten years of being in this business. And, it's the first time that I've ever walked out in the main event and given the belt to the guy's manager and told him to put it on him," Dana White said during UFC 112 post-fight press conference.
